Since when did flying planes/jets cost so much? (best, hotel, hotel)

[Need_affordable_home]

I was checking the airfare from south Florida to West Virginia and it starts at $450 per person! I remember it was half the price several years ago to travel to most places in the USA! To drive there would cost about $150-200 in gas each way. Me and dad could drive to WV and spend $200 max for both people then dad can fly back and leave the car for me to use. One way ticket would cost perhaps $300. This would save us about $450 total and itll be an experience exploring several states on the way and I can check houses there but ill most likley settle down in West Virginia. If dad doesnt want to drive all day, guess well spend the extra money and save time and work driving.

I dont have the money to travel all over USA looking for the best place to settle down. I can just ask others who live there if its a good place or not. I have a friend who lives in WV and he loves it! Texas comes highly reccomended but I couldnt afford much house there and not in an upscale neighboor either. I am crossing north NY off the list, too cold. In my newspaper it said there was a foot of snow in fall! Winter will be really freezing! WV has mild winters, that I can deal with and frankly wont mind much.

[christina0001]

Yeouch! That seems excessive to me. We are flying to Missouri from Newark in 2 weeks for about $200/pp roundtrip.

Maybe that is the best price, but here are some tips I use when booking airfare:
1. Watch airfare prices for at least 2-3 months (if possible) to determine what is normal.
2. Find out what airlines fly to the city you are interested in, and watch airfare at the airline's website. Sign up for email alerts for special airfare deals for each airline's website.
3. Check travel websites, like expedia and travelocity.
4. Talk to people from the area you want to fly to - ask them what airlines typically have the cheapest flights to their city.
5. If you live close to more than one airport, compare airfare from all of them. For example, for our next trip it is cheaper to fly out of Newark. When we went on our honeymoon last year, it was cheaper to fly out of Philly. There are 2-3 other airports within an hour's travel from our house so I always check them out, too. You can do that in reverse if there are multiple airports in the city you want to fly to.

Best of luck!

[Need_affordable_home]

Maybe its peak season? The dates I chose can make a big difference. But if they still want $450/person when I move out in the spring(hopefully) then be it, its a one time expense cost of moving then ill stay put for many, many years and visit perhaps twice a year unless airfair goes down in price then ill visit more often.

[dullnboring]

Try looking at major metropolitan areas and their airports rather than looking for direct flights to West Virginia. It will probably be cheaper to fly to DC, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati or Columbus and then rent a car and drive to West Virginia. Like you said however, if it's a one-time cost of moving issue, then you may just have to suck it up and pay the $450.

[SpeedyAZ]

Maybe its peak season? The dates I chose can make a big difference. But if they still want $450/person when I move out in the spring(hopefully) then be it, its a one time expense cost of moving then ill stay put for many, many years and visit perhaps twice a year unless airfair goes down in price then ill visit more often.

I'd wait for at least 1 week after Thankgiving weekend. It's also cheaper to fly on weekdays (Monday through Thursday) than it is to fly on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. West Virginia doesn't have a major airport so the fares will be higher, try flying into Philidelphia or Cincinatti and drive the rest of the way.

But you much just need to pay the $450 unless you love roadtrips.

[momof2dfw]

Check out the fares on bestfares, expedia & travelocity. Some of the fares posted on Bestfares are for members only. Do the calculations and see if the membership fee is worth it. It has been for me on many occassions. They have a feature called "quickfare" or something "quick_____", this will give you the fares they have between the two cities you entered. It will say if it is a "members only" fare or not and they also list alternate cities to fly in our out of. If you find a fare this way you do have to call them to book it. Try different days and times to see which has the lowest prices. If you are wanting to go over a weekend be it a long weekend or short look on all of those sites for their "last minute getaways" and see what they have. Most include hotel and some car rental and they can be some REALLY great deals. Sometimes much less than what a regular round trip ticket. If you try to book a flight just thru the airlines w/in a 21 day or 7 day before departure you are not going to get a good deal. Most of the discounted fares most be purchased 7 or 21 days out.

Sometimes a one way ticket can be more than a roundtrip. Not to mention the extra scrutiny you will get in security w/ a one way ticket.